Positivus The Baltic Beacon

Latvia’s Positivus would win a Best Baltic Festival award in any year, but even the organisers admit it’s because it’s really the only festival in the region.

Last year it grew from two days to three days and nearly sold out its 30,000 capacity.

Positvus chief Girts Majors told Pollstar he has high hopes of at least equaling that in 2014.

Its only Baltic rival was Estonia’s Rabarock Festival, which was only a distant rival and collapsed after reportedly doing about half the 8,000 per day it needed to break even in 2011. Rabarock had financial problems since it started in 2005, but sponsors including SEB Bank and Jagermeister stuck with it for seven years.

When Positivus began in 2007, it did 3,000 per day but it’s steadily grown to 10 times that size.

Last year Estonian President Toomas Ilves was its most distinguished fan, reportedly showing up to check out UK rock act Palma Violets.

The acts appearing on the Baltic coast at Salacgriva July 18-20 include The Kooks, Bastille, Ellie Goulding , Kraftwerk, You Me At Six, MØ, and FM Belfast.